perjure

verb

per·​jure ˈpər-jər How to pronounce perjure (audio)
perjured; perjuring ˈpər-jə-riŋ How to pronounce perjure (audio)
ˈpərj-riŋ

transitive verb

1
: to make a perjurer of (oneself)
2
dated : to cause to commit perjury

Examples of perjure in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Under the agreement, detailed by sources, Smith agreed to not prosecute Taveras for allegedly perjuring himself in exchange for his truthful testimony that detailed the conduct underpinning the new obstruction allegations in the superseding indictment. Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2023 Latham is also accused of perjuring herself by lying about her involvement in a federal court deposition in 2022. Jeff Amy, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Aug. 2023 California Attorney awaiting sentencing in DWP case accuses Feuer of aiding extortion, perjury March 7, 2022 Paradis has previously accused Feuer of knowing about wrongdoing in the case and has accused the former city attorney of perjuring himself during a 2019 deposition. Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2023 The indictment itself, filed on April 28, contains almost no information, saying only that Murphy perjured herself on or around Nov. 3, 2022, in Kenai. Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News, 6 May 2023 At least two other Justices stand accused of perjuring themselves both before the Senate and in individual office meetings in respect of their attitudes toward Roe v. Wade, while another stands accused of having plagiarized in writing a dissertation for an advanced degree. Robert Hockett, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023 Jon Burge and accusations that a Cook County assistant state’s attorney had a relationship with a witness and perjured himself. Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2023 In a riveting display of incompetence, Jones’ attorneys did not inform Jones of this error, instead allowing their client to perjure himself on the stand. Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2022 And if neither of us knows the truth, neither of us would have to perjure ourselves at a tribunal. Damon Young, Washington Post, 25 July 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'perjure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Anglo-French parjurer, perjurer, from Latin perjurare, from per- detrimentally, for the worse + jurare to swear — more at per-, jury

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of perjure was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near perjure

Cite this Entry

“Perjure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perjure. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

perjure

verb
per·​jure ˈpər-jər How to pronounce perjure (audio)
perjured; perjuring ˈpərj-(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce perjure (audio)
: to make (oneself) guilty of perjury
perjurer
ˈpər-jər-ər
noun

Legal Definition

perjure

transitive verb
per·​jure ˈpər-jər How to pronounce perjure (audio)
perjured; perjuring
: to make a perjurer of (oneself)

More from Merriam-Webster on perjure

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!